SNP’s young voters are urged to defy Salmond over Nato

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The SNP has long been opposed to both Nato and the Trident programmeLA(Phot) Ray Jones

Nick Drainey

Published at 12:02AM, August 8 2012

Dissent and division grew deeper within the SNP last night over Alex Salmond’s
intention to abandon opposition to Nato. The party’s youth arm, seen as
vital for electoral success, signalled that it would vote against the
proposal at the party conference in October.

Angus Robertson, the SNP defence spokesman, will ask delegates to support
keeping an independent Scotland in the alliance. But SNP Youth has resolved
to back an amendment reaffirming the Nationalists’ long-standing anti-Nato
stance.

The leadership is under pressure to produce a coherent defence strategy before
the independence referendum. Many see membership of Nato as incompatible
with the